“There’s nothing in whatever rule book you’re following that prevents you from caring about your slave. It just doesn’t usually happen overnight.” He laughed again, his tease hitting home. Like he had any right to torment me. He’d certainly broken protocol when finding vindication for what Valentina had endured. “Don’t beat yourself up. That’s the main thing. Focus as much as you can and not on carnal desires.”
With Hudson being a judge, Valentina had been the sole witness to a heinous murder, the perpetrator finding himself in Hudson’s courtroom. While the now love of his life was supposed to have been protected, the system had failed both her and justice in general. The murderer had been released from prison on a technicality.
The very reason Raven Intel had been born. Five men deciding the system had failed. I’d admired his tenacity, the former Marine the perfect candidate for hunting the perpetrator. I was beginning to have my doubts I was the right man for the job.
Not only because I’d abandoned my promise to remain objective, but because somewhere in the back of my mind, I was just a reformed Montana cowboy living in a big city. And why? Because I’d grown bored with the country life. What a crock.
After four cups of coffee, the taste was bitter and the caffeine was having little effect. I shoved the mug onto the desk and walked to the window staring out at the ocean.
“So what the fuck do I do? Do I just ignore what happened between us?”
“You can’t do that. Not only is it impossible as a man, trust me on that one, but you’ll alienate Reese and her trust. She needs to be able to rely on everything you tell her. If you are required toperform again like some circus animal, you’ll both need to be the consummate actors.”
Maybe I just needed a confirmation of what I already knew. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“Of course I am. Remain as objective as possible. You like her and, evidently, she likes you. Who knows? Maybe it’s a match made in heaven.”
Huffing, I shook my head. “Don’t put the cart before the horse, buddy. It was one night.” One blissful, spectacular night.
“Maybe so, but the question is, do you care about her?”
“Like I said. It’s one night. That doesn’t make a relationship.”
Why did he enjoy laughing at me? Because I was an easy target. “When you know, you know, buddy. Don’t kid yourself.”
“Back to business before I reach through the phone and rip your throat out. I’ll be sending sketches of several girls as well as a few names. Does the name Steven Powell ring a bell?”
“No, but I’m guessing you realize identifying any of the men, including one who wasn’t required to wear a mask, is likely impossible.”
“I scanned his sketch and I’m currently running it through the database. We might get lucky.” Right. And pigs flew in the winter too. Still, every rock needed to be turned over, crushed into dust if necessary.
“I’ll put some feelers out myself.”
“We need to find the goddamn warehouse. I’m certain that’s what I was in.” God, I was frustrated as hell.
“If your details are accurate and the fuckers didn’t drive you around to disorient you, that could mean one of a couple industrial parks. I’m betting on the one in Doral. We’re running the various companies through the database to check for owners. Plus, I think Gabriel has already dispatched a couple people to drive to the park.”
“Like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
Hudson snorted. “Maybe, but at least, we can begin to rule out certain areas.”
I didn’t like the odds. If there was any chance Lucifer was onto me, he’d shut down operations for a lengthy period. Forget finding the club’s location. It would be either boarded up or sold. That would put the women in even more danger. “We need to this operation moving, for fuck’s sake.”
He chuckled. “We’re moving as fast as we can given the circumstances. What are the odds you’ll receive a call from Lucifer’s crew?”
“I’d give it a twenty percent chance.”
Hudson sighed and I could tell he was thinking. “Then don’t waste time lamenting. Gather everything you can remember about the experience. Don’t leave anything out. Smells. Sounds. Jewelry. Clothing. Use your skills as a prosecutor. You’re one of the best I know in gleaning evidence from appearances and physical tics. You’d be surprised what details might fill in the blanks.”
As usual, solid advice from a no-nonsense man. “I’m compiling a list. I think I know what I have facing me.”
“I have one question.”
“If you dare ask me if I’m going to be getting married anytime soon, I’ll beat your ass next time I see you.”
“Yeah, right. You can try.” His laugh faded away. “Look, not to bring up a sore point, but I was just going to ask if you’re doing this for all the right reasons.”
“You mean as in putting a bunch of criminals behind bars?”
